Saturday, June 27, 2015

Going about the SL12B Exhibits, there are a lot of them. Some are fairly simple. Others have a good amount of detail. Here's a few examples of the more noteable ones I've come across.

At SL12B Enchant (191/78/22) was the exhibit for the 1920s Berlin Project, by Jo Yardley.

A sausage and pretzel cart was there like in previous years, but clicking on it didn't get me anything this time. So none of my "wurst" jokes this time.

I didn't see anyone in the bar, though there were a few people at a public square, two of them fans of the Berlin sim.

Kenny Luckless, a longtime resident, had his "Something Amazing!" exhibit at SL12B Electrify (194, 52, 22). A sign at the walkway up the build read, "Hello! My name is Kenny Luckless, and I like to be in Natoma where I often build things that become silly freebies. When you are here, you has to explore by zooming and by use right click to see if you can take a copy. If you want to learn how to build, you can always visit 'The Ivory Tower of Primitives.'"

Kenny was there, and was happy to talk about his build. He had gotten the idea from, "A huge floating island, (an) old build that did fascinate me when I was new." There were a number of freebie items one could pick up, "Then are many things here things I just tested to do." The "point" of his exhibit was to encourage people to build, "And to explore and learn to use right click (smile). I would love to see them try to make similar things." The build was a combination of prim and mesh, "The stairs here was prims I converted to mesh. ... I often build in SL and export to Blender and make them to mesh."

There were a few signs around, as well as some more subtle messages, most done in humor, "Some are Linden and Mile jokes, and silly jokes too (grin)." He handed me a couple, "I shall try (to) make one moer with a Ebbe joke to before SL12B is over(grin)." Kenny then asked me, "Did you see the trap?" He directed my attention to a box trap with a slice of watermelon underneath, with a plan nearby showing the target: Torley Linden. The idea was to hide in the bushes when Torley was near, then press a button there when he went for the watermelon slice, "I has still not manage to capture a Torley (grin)."

Going up the walkway, there was a hollow area inside the build, where there were pictures of Kenny, as well as more freebies and things one could grab. On top of the rock was a barn, made not by Kenny, but by Marcov Carter. Before leaving, Kenny directed my attention to a Linden coin on the grass, "Textures are inside so they can do a own or make it better. ... I has not do anything serious at all. I has to look so all is good in Natoma."

At SL12B Wonderous (10/105/22) was the Bay City Exhibit by Marianne McCann.

The ride was one describing how Bay City came to be and how it represents the mid-20th century North American urban experience, as well as being the community which a number of residents are a part of.

Loki's exhibit involved a story that progressed as the character went along, about a weary man who dreams of being a child whom goes on an adventure.

In Loki's blog, he stated that the exhibit was one from the Second Life Fifth Birthdayin 2008. "It was a collaboration with friends of the Chid Avatar Community to
build a large interactive story book. The hope being that it would
enlighten people to what the child avatar community was all about." He had brought it back for those whom weren't around then to look at.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Mauve is a quiet and peaceful place to be when you
want to get out of the whole large crowd scene of Second Life. It's
simple, relaxing, easy to navigate, as well as the fact that it looks
beautiful in the different times of day in-world. In the description of
the landmark it says about it being able to be a meeting place for
events, info, freebies, or even a place to simply hangout. While I
haven't personally used it for those specifically save it for a place to
rez when I start up the virtual world. This particular sim is apart of
the mainland, which I believe is one of the places a new resident is
able to start in after finishing orientation / tutorial island; or at
least it's where you can come if your new and need info. From my
understanding the said information can be found on various boards in the
above picture. Whether you want to check out the blog for Linden Lab, a
landmark for those newbies around the wonderful virtual world, as well
as an advertisement.

If
your looking for a real experience then just waiting for people to show
up out of the blue, this sim isn't for you. If your the kind of person
that likes to wait or has to get some organizing of their inventory done
than it is! The two features it includes is that you are able to use
voice to communicate with other residents, old and new, as well as the
ability to fly around and get a bigger view of the whole area. What adds
to the simplicity and helpfulness is nearby locations. Unfortunately
you may not be able to access these since some may be homes, or even
lands you cannot be on depending on your rating of general, moderate,
and adult. This place is supposed to be clean of any vulgar
words, or even getting naked like you can in a sandbox. I am not sure if
you can get kicked out of the said place if you do have your avatar
naked, but I don't think they'd do it if you plan on putting clothes
right away. No one likes a resident in their birthday outfit now do
they?

Personally
I haven't had bad experiences around there considering it's set as my
home location, due to me being a homeless little resident of SL. People
usually come and go, whether it's because they are new, or just bored
and tping around until they find an awesome sim. As for the loading and
rezzing it depends on your computer on how long things will load like
objects, prims, trees, and so forth; generally I do not have an issue
with waiting for things to load here because of it being not so
cluttered and having many builds unlike other places like clubs, homes,
shops, and so forth. I definitely recommend checking it out at some
point or another. Like I said previously its usually quiet and not
action packed like other sims are, but if your wanting to get away and
do a bit of a clean up, you can without a problem.

The
place is owned by Governor Linden and created by Chip
Poutine. Upon trying to look further into information on it there isn't
information about when it was created. Although this is only an
assumption, it might of been created when Second Life was started or at
least someone during the beginning of when it was created and open. At
this time of writing the article I haven't been able to locate Chip
Poutine inworld, and at the moment I tried contacting him, Governor Linden wasn't online.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

One of my friends from the Second Life Tour group, Delaynie Barbosa, told me about one interesting sim, Silverscreen.

At the teleport point, (145, 147, 33), one finds a huge amphitheater
with a four-sided media display screen, which dominates the central
island. Currently, it plays media of a trailer for the "Iron Man" movie.
Four other islands make up the sim. Besides flying over, one can also
take a tram to and from there to the main island, which can be called
over by posts at the edge of the islands (don't forget to sit in them).

The island to the southeast has an "Iron Man" prim statue and a free
Iron Man avatar and AO (which you can also find behind you at the
teleport point), as well as another media screen for the movie trailer.
The southwest corner has a scene from the "Transformer" movie of two of
the robots in a fight, Bumblebee and Barricade, as well as two free
avies of them.

The northwest island is for the latest "Die Hard" movie, a scene of a
fighter jet firing at a truck on a bridge. To the side are a few
freebie items and teleports to other parts of the sim. The map shown
suggests there were more "Die Hard" exhibits in the past, but about all
that is left of them is the free "Warlock Room" building under the
central amphitheater. The northeast island is for the movie "300," a
scene of some Ancient Greek buildings. One can find a free Spartan
warrior outfit there, and look for the helmets, spears, and the shield
elsewhere there. And like in the movies, I found a "blooper" there. On
the floor was a smoldering cigar - not exactly something one is supposed
to find on an Ancient Spartan set. ;-)

Silverscreen also has a group of the same name. The group charter
says "Silverscreen is a multi-purpose event and exhibition venue
developed and managed by Picture Production Company (PPC). Silverscreen
opened to the public in March 2007, and has since hosted Q&As and
expos for movies ..." The founder of the group, Danyboy Lightfoot, calls
himself the manager of Silverscreen, "I've been involved in bringing
movies including 300, DIE HARD 4.0 and Transformers into Second Life."
He is also with the "Transformers" sim group.

* * * * *

"When Second Life went to the movies" is what one might call this place and time. The place was made at a time when real life companies were looking to the virtual world as a place to advertise. Within months, places like this would be pretty much a thing of the past. Yours truly still has the "300" outfit and "Bumblebee" avatar.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The following was originally published in Second Life Newspaper on April 23, 2010.

* * * * *

By Bixyl Shuftan

Those with a fascination for Steampunk, fans of the classic novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” or even just a simple interest in either, may want to head to a certain place in Second Life: Nemo.

The entry point is a metal platform, with a walkway leading to a metal tube poking up through the surface, a doorway open and leading to an elevator. One can take the elevator down, and find oneself in the middle of an undersea city. The structure is done in the style of the Victorian era, but with strange machines mixed in. Near the entrance is a model of the complex, which can help in seeing where one can go while down there. There is also music in the background, which was a bit haunting at times when I was there.

The underwater complex is well detailed. Some rooms are simple living quarters in which one can sit on a couch by an amp and read the books of the day. There is also an occasional portrait of a notable person, appropriate to the setting, at the time, such as scientist Nikola Telsa. There is also an organ in one

In other places in the structure, one can look at electrical and plasma-filled equipment fit for a mad scientist’s lab. There are robots in the place, resembling sea creatures, in various stages of assembly, as well as sketches of the contraptions on the wall. If one looks outside, an occasional working model can be seen moving through the water. There are also other machines for use outside the lab, such as a fortune-telling machine. The machines are done in good detailed, sometimes with moving gears and other parts.

Nemo was built by Sextant Shepard, a French journalist in real life. In the Linden Blogs, he stated he was working on another area, the Oruchalcum Mine. Nemo itself is still a “work in progress,” evidenced by a closed door with a sign at one point.

A fascinating sim that anyone who’s read the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells will enjoy.

Nemo was one of the last places I would cover for James and Dana's Second Life Newspaper. This sim received a good deal of praise for it's design. It was featured in the destination guide and mentioned by Linden Lab as a key place to go to. More was built after the article, including scenery above ground, so I went back to see the new additional areas. Sadly, it didn't stay up for very long. In a matter of weeks, it was gone. I would go back once more for a few more pictures before it faded away.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

In the Summer of 2008, I came across and made friends with the people of Woodlin, eventually joining the community in October. But over a period of weeks from January to March 2009, the place fell apart due to drama, the majority of us heading over to Foxworth, owned by Foxyfurman Kunami. But while Woodlin had it's own clubs, Foxworth didn't have one. It's entertainment was an open-air gaming hall with machines of Foxy's construction. Enter Rory Langdon, whom was one of Woodlin's DJs, and was the manager of it's short-lived "Margaritavile." Wanting to stay in the club business, he got some land in a sim separate from Foxworth that already had one, and went to work with help from Foxworth's residents. More of the club's history can be seen in this article of the place, that was published in August 23 2009, the day after its closing party.

* * * * *

At 6 PM Saturday August 22nd, the Bahama Beach Club at the Goldrush sim held it’s final event. Club owner Rory Langdon was the DJ that night, playing classic rock for a “Back to the ‘60s” beack party, with some guests and staff in their swimming trunks and bikinis. Instead of in the club, the party was held on the beach sands.

Rory Langdon, or Joe Ward in real life, has been playing music for over 30 years, with experience as both a DJ and club manager. Experience he brought with him to Second Life, both DJing and club managing here. In March 2009, he decided to start up a club of his own, buying up some land that already had a nightclub there, “Club 9:30.” As it turned out, there really was a Club 9:30 in real life. So he kept the building for a while, setting up a small beach club next to it, poles holding up a thatched roof, with a danceball overhead with a particle streamer sending down a light show at times, with a picture of a blue parrot behind the DJ stand, which became known as “Flip the bird.”

With his partner Marai McMahon helping to manage things, Rory had planned to run both clubs with events in both every week. But problems in real life cut down on his time in the metaverse, and the prim content limit limited what he could do with both clubs. So they decided to take down the nightclub building, building a a bigger beach club. They also put a little more detail in the beach. adding rocks, a waterfall, palm trees and hammocks, a secret cuddle spot, and more. Some people dropped over between parties just to see the beach scenery and relax. The new bigger club was renamed the Bahama Beach Club, though sometimes simply called the “BBC” as a pun on the famous media company.

Besides himself, Rory had other music-makers performing. Bosco sang at the club for a time. Later on came DJ’s SonicBlu and Boo Gearhead. And throughout the club’s history, there was ScratchMusikatt the “Chaos DJ,” playing for the late at night while he also performed in real life.

The club and it’s grounds took up a quarter sim, but prim limits limited what Rory, Marai, and the staff could do. There was talk about buying up a half sim, or maybe a full sim in the future for things like a staff residence home. Then his old friend and former neighbor Foxyfurman Kumaki who runs the Foxworth sim offered a deal. Rory and Marai now have a section of the sim there for a club, which will be opened sometime in the near future. This time, it will be a nightclub to go along with Foxy’s casino next to the place. The land on Goldrush will be sold.

So, the Bahama Beach Club comes to a close, at least for now. It’s likely it will come back in some form, but the place at Goldrush will be missed.

As the final party came to a close, virtual champagne was passed around, and toasts were made.

“To this place being good to us, memories made here.”

“To memories old and new, to friends who shall never be forgotten.”

* * * * *

Rory never did open his nightclub. Events in real life intervened, and he was forced to take a hiatus from Second Life. While he was able to make occasional reappearances, he never could stick around for very long. Some months later in March 2010, Foxworth itself had to close down. Marai and a few others were able to relocate to a place they called Glen Meadows, but there was no room for me. But there was another group of friends I had with their own estate: The Sunweavers. ScratchMusikatt did end up meeting a special friend at the BBC, and their friendship continues to this day, as does his DJing.

Friday, June 5, 2015

But this is Chicago in the Roaring 20’s. RP gangsters, the real kind. You might get shot! There is a hospital waiting for you if you end up needing it. Old advertisements of the era on the building walls, the elevated tracks, the true opulence or desolation of the times. Pick up some duds at a local shop and explore in style. There are some shops with guns and damage meters so you can join in the gang wars. Thugs hang out on the streets, and have many hang outs to be at.

At the corner of Fullerton and Wrightwood you will find a barber shop. Stop in and get a cut. Or, better yet, seek the secret entrance to the hidden speak easy. The hoochies will be waiting for you. This is the Back Room. Blues and jazz are all the rage at this sim. There are many venues to enjoy, from The Back Room, with all its seclusion and secrecy, to the fanciness of Fiume Jazz Club. There is the Asylum, the Red House Society, in the red light district, (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more), and The Fox Club. Just to name a few. But don’t miss out of the Burlesque show! A real burlesque show for you in Second Life. The Empire hosts this show in a plush red themed theater. A naked and naughty 1920's style burlesque every Saturday night at 7:30 SLT.

The Chicago Theater show movies, current to the times, in class. I find that the lush art deco style eases the eyes after seeing the slums. Art works in deco style are for sale in many shops or in the city hall. Wrigley Field is there, in its original simplicity. Run the bases, if you like. Of course there are places to rent for your own shop, and homes. I even found a Bear Detective agency for all your furry legal needs. I have found myself welcome there and feel all will be, if you respect the role play about you. I love it for the music, the art deco builds and the fun of old time Chicago. Secret room, gambling halls, and teleporters to skyscrapers are there to be found.

The Roaring 20's Chicago Mobster Group is there to join so you can add to the role play. Get to know the citizens and mob bosses there. Pretend you are Americas Most Wanted, shoot up the town and take over, if you can. They are love RPing here and would enjoy it if you got in the act.

Don’t forget to visit Lyon, Avon and Sons Mortuary, (you stab ‘em, we slab ‘em). Who knows, you might just end up there anyway. Beats “sleepin’ with the fishes”. And as always, tip the venues, workers, shop the stores and respect what they offer you.